Tainari88 wrote:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes on what is wrong with Washington DC style politics:

She seems like a real idiot. However, she may have the ability to learn over time.

Tainari88 wrote:How does one change such a broken system? Any suggestions?

One thing I have long thought should be changed is the ability for the lawmakers to vote to raise their own salaries to whatever they could get a majority vote. Since the people elect them and they are supposed to work for the people, then the people should determine their salaries. Many of them are not worth a dime.

I have to say I admire your compassion. You live in a country with a brilliantly working democracy and government, but you still find time to help backward America overcome its backward system. No Muslim can become head of State or head of government in your country. I think this is a change we should consider. Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed considerable sympathy for Donald Trump and has said that he has also had a problem with the press in his country. However unfortunately Donald Trump lacks the tools to deal with fake news, that Prayut has. You will no doubt appreciate the way Trump has brought more Generals into the government, but we have to be honest he still has a long way to go before he can reach the great levels of Thailand.

The trouble with both the Republicans and the Democrats is their too much tied to the establishment, if only America could be ruled by a party like Phalang Pracharat that has its base amongst the poor and lower classes. Phalang Pracharat is not tied to the Thai establishment in any way at all.

Politics is the art of putting self first, party second and country third, while appearing to do the reverse.

Rich wrote:I have to say I admire your compassion. You live in a country with a brilliantly working democracy and government, but you still find time to help backward America overcome its backward system.

No problem. Your comment is stupid and irrelevant, of course.

Who said the system was backwards? I was agreeing that it was broken.

Rich wrote:Phalang Pracharat is not tied to the Thai establishment in any way at all.

Irrelevant. Fallacy of relative privation (also known as "appeal to worse problems" or "not as bad as") – dismissing an argument or complaint due to the existence of more important problems in the world, regardless of whether those problems bear relevance to the initial argument.

Why so defensive, Rich?

“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hindsite wrote:She seems like a real idiot. However, she may have the ability to learn over time.

One thing I have long thought should be changed is the ability for the lawmakers to vote to raise their own salaries to whatever they could get a majority vote. Since the people elect them and they are supposed to work for the people, then the people should determine their salaries. Many of them are not worth a dime.

The only people calling her an idiot are the ones shitting their pants over the simple truth that she is going to bring some questions they don't want asked about who they are and how they think.

Nothing dumb or idiotic about AOC. The only ones who want to believe that are racists, and fearful people of getting taxed at 90% over 10 million dollars. And that is not something to fear. They won't be living in poverty with 10 million bucks.

The elites have figured out how to keep their feet pressed on the throats of regular working people. However, they also know when to let go of the pressure to let them breath a little before the press on their throats again.

The only people calling her an idiot are the ones shitting their pants over the simple truth that she is going to bring some questions they don't want asked about who they are and how they think.

Nothing dumb or idiotic about AOC. The only ones who want to believe that are racists, and fearful people of getting taxed at 90% over 10 million dollars. And that is not something to fear. They won't be living in poverty with 10 million bucks.

True.

That said, what tends to happen is that when we get some sort of "tax reform", what happens is that the people that end up getting taxed more are actually the "working rich" and not the "idle rich". The working "rich" would be people that make good money, but ultimately have to work to earn their money. Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers... the professional class basically.

The elites have figured out how to keep their feet pressed on the throats of regular working people. However, they also know when to let go of the pressure to let them breath a little before the press on their throats again.

No, the elite Rancid, are used to being privileged. In those positions they get tunnel visioned thinking that how they think is the norm and all agree. They rarely get contradicted in life due to the power involved with having a lot of money and a lot of political clout. So? They live with the delusion that their power is perpetual and unchanging and their money can't be touched. They then act accordingly and they are surprised when the masses pressure them and get angry and usually resort to all kinds of tactics that not only are immoral and ineffective but usually bring out a bad reaction. You see it in periods of great turmoil such as in the 60's and in the 30's and the previous years leading up to WWII.

People who are in comfortable positions rarely change unless strongly pressured to do so. For many reasons Rancid.

Tainari88 wrote:No, the elite Rancid, are used to being privileged. In those positions they get tunnel visioned thinking that how they think is the norm and all agree. They rarely get contradicted in life due to the power involved with having a lot of money and a lot of political clout. So? They live with the delusion that their power is perpetual and unchanging and their money can't be touched. They then act accordingly and they are surprised when the masses pressure them and get angry and usually resort to all kinds of tactics that not only are immoral and ineffective but usually bring out a bad reaction. You see it in periods of great turmoil such as in the 60's and in the 30's and the previous years leading up to WWII.

People who are in comfortable positions rarely change unless strongly pressured to do so. For many reasons Rancid.

I think we are in agreement. I don't believe that my statement contradicts what you are saying.

That said, what tends to happen is that when we get some sort of "tax reform", what happens is that the people that end up getting taxed more are actually the "working rich" and not the "idle rich". The working "rich" would be people that make good money, but ultimately have to work to earn their money. Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers... the professional class basically.

I took a sociology class long ago on the history of labor and upcoming trends in labor markets. This was long ago in the 1980's Rancid. Back then they said that the future (AI) would attack the professional classes. Make the large salaries they earned much less by creating the title of 'para' before the full title. For example, a lawyer could be substituted by a paralegal. A doctor by a Physician's Assistant or 'para doctor'. An engineer could be substituted by a technician specializing in one aspect of technical skill. That sort of thing. And you could pay them less than half or one third of what a doctor, lawyer, engineer would get and save money. Retain all the big bucks for the ones who OWN these enterprises, health care industry, law firms, engineering firms, etc.

That is the strategy. Eventually forcing the full fledged professional class to pay more in taxes and receive less for their investment in their own educations and personal talents and abilities. More pie for the corporate big dog owners. That is the the way they do it.

The solution is solidarity with many of the lower class professions. Hard work. But that is the way it works.

Tainari88 wrote:I took a sociology class long ago on the history of labor and upcoming trends in labor markets. This was long ago in the 1980's Rancid. Back then they said that the future (AI) would attack the professional classes. Make the large salaries they earned much less by creating the title of 'para' before the full title. For example, a lawyer could be substituted by a paralegal. A doctor by a Physician's Assistant or 'para doctor'. An engineer could be substituted by a technician specializing in one aspect of technical skill. That sort of thing. And you could pay them less than half or one third of what a doctor, lawyer, engineer would get and save money. Retain all the big bucks for the ones who OWN these enterprises, health care industry, law firms, engineering firms, etc.

That is the strategy. Eventually forcing the full fledged professional class to pay more in taxes and receive less for their investment in their own educations and personal talents and abilities. More pie for the corporate big dog owners. That is the the way they do it.

The solution is solidarity with many of the lower class professions. Hard work. But that is the way it works.

Yes yes yes. Actually this has become very true in lawyering. I was listening to a podcast talking about how the lawyer profession is becoming hard to make money in. Many lawyers only make 40k a year (which would surprise many people). This is because automation is basically replacing the work of doing things like researching case law. Also, things like legal zoom, where you don't need a lawyer to make a will or trust.

To your point about solidarity. Here's the neat trick the elite classes are doing. They often successfully convince people in the professional classes to turn against the working classes. This is how you get lawyers, doctors, etc. etc. that vote against poor people.

That said, my theory is capitalism will collapse once the elites largely eat the professional classes.

AOC is brilliant. She really knows how to point out the truth succinctly and with great energy. The fact that she garners so much ridicule from the plutocracy and their hoodwinked lemmings is a high compliment to her philosophy and methodology.

In case you haven't noticed kids, this is ISSUE #ONE. Even more important than THE WALL The issue that The Greedy Old Party and the plutocrats they enable try like hell to keep off of the national agenda. Better late than never.

The soak-the-rich plans — ones that were only recently considered ridiculously far-fetched or political poison — have received serious and sober treatment, even by critics, and remarkably broad encouragement from the electorate. Roughly three out of four registered voters surveyed in recent polls supported higher taxes on the wealthy. Even a majority of Republicans back higher rates on those earning more than $10 million, according to a Fox News poll conducted in mid-January. Teddy Roosevelt’s warned about the dangers of a small class of enormously wealthy individuals “whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,”

"When somebody says it's not about the money, it's about the money." H.L.Mencken

Tainari88 wrote:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes on what is wrong with Washington DC style politics:

How does one change such a broken system? Any suggestions?

Hint.....it is not that con man President Trump liar extraordinaire!

Good points. Most don't realise though that those questions have been asked many times that she is bringing up. But all the time, any vote was proposed, it was killed by different means as i understand. It is not like people involved do not understand the problem. The issue is that the people involved do not want to change the situation for one reason or the other. Not all reasons are related to corruption actually.

I do not think that any nation is hopeless to change; however, I think that some nations do require a lot more effort than others to become changed. - Verv

Hindsite trolled: One thing I have long thought should be changed is the ability for the lawmakers to vote to raise their own salaries to whatever they could get a majority vote. Since the people elect them and they are supposed to work for the people, then the people should determine their salaries. Many of them are not worth a dime.

Give me a list of the republicans who you believe should have their salaries cut.

"We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated." Trump.

"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, okay? " Trump